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Abby Pena’s hands are full this year. Between school and helping her grandma wrangle her three younger sisters, there is no time for an after-school job, and certainly no money in the budget to get a car. When Brazos High announces a brand new school-wide contest, everyone thinks it sounds lame. Until they learn the winner of the contest gets a brand new car.

Mark Caputo is living a lie. His family owns a popular restaurant in town and their favorite pastime is being rich. Only… they’re not rich. His parents’ constant pressure to look the best and be the best has Mark on edge. This new car could give his parents some much needed financial help. Too bad he’s starting off this school contest in last place.

Abby and Mark have their own reasons for wanting the car, and so does the rest of the school. As tensions rise and students scramble to win the contest, Abby finds herself battling for first place with the last person she’d ever expect: the super cute Mark Caputo, her new mortal enemy.

The Brazos High Romance Series is a collection of flirty, sweet young adult novellas that each feature a different couple. They can be read in any order. Download your copy now and dive into this heartwarming romance!

Amy Sparling is the bestselling author of books for teens and the teens at heart. She lives on the coast of Texas with her family, her spoiled rotten pets, and a huge pile of books. She graduated with a degree in English and has worked at a bookstore, coffee shop, and a fashion boutique. Her fashion skills aren’t the best, but luckily she turned her love of coffee and books into a writing career that means she can work in her pajamas. Her favorite things are coffee, book boyfriends, and Netflix binges.

She’s always loved reading books from R. L. Stine’s Fear Street series, to The Baby Sitter’s Club series by Ann, Martin, and of course, Twilight. She started writing her own books in 2010 and now publishes several books a year.

Jayda’s junior year started off bad when her boyfriend dumped her, and then it became worse when her mom got laid off. With every week that her mom doesn’t find a new job, things get tighter. Now the holidays are approaching and there is no money for presents. When she intercepts her little brother’s letter to Santa, her heart breaks knowing they can’t get the dog he desperately wants. On a wing and a prayer, she writes her own letter to Santa, penning all of her holiday wishes that she knows can never come true because holiday magic just isn’t real.

Connor’s first Christmas without his mother is harder than he imagined. When a giant sack of letters to Santa shows up at his doorstep, he can’t believe he forgot that she used to reply to all the Santa letters in their small town. He’s about to throw them away, but then a letter from a girl he has a crush on catches his eye. Jayda has sent a Christmas wish into the universe, and although Connor isn’t technically Santa, he does the only thing he can do to honor his mother’s memory.

The day Raquel has been dreading for months has finally arrived. Sasha, her best friend in the whole world, has died of cancer. Overwhelmed and brokenhearted, Raquel can’t even imagine life without her.

And then a letter from Sasha arrives. Has she somehow found a way to communicate from beyond the grave?

In fact, Sasha spent her final weeks planning an elaborate scavenger hunt for the friend she would have to leave behind. When Raquel follows the instructions to return to Sasha’s grave, a mysterious stranger with striking eyes is waiting for her. There’s a secret attached to this boy that only Sasha — and now Raquel — knows.

This boy, Elijah, might be just who Raquel needs to help her move on from her terrible loss. But can Raquel remain true to herself while also honoring her friend’s final wish?

Cheyanne Young’s compulsively readable breakout novel offers abiding friendship and forbidden romance, along with an incisive look at how class differences shape who we are and who we grow to be.

Cheyanne Young is a native Texan with a fear of cold weather and a coffee addiction that probably needs an intervention. She loves books, sarcasm, and collecting nail polish. After nearly a decade of working in engineering, Cheyanne now writes books for young adults. She also runs a bookish Etsy shop.

Cheyanne lives near the beach with her family, one spoiled rotten puppy, and a cat that is most likely plotting to take over the world. Her newest book, The Last Wish of Sasha Cade, releases in 2018.

“Sixteen-year-old Jess Parker is stuck babysitting her little brother all weekend, which is why she accepts her best friend’s dare: to text the random phone number they found written on a lost piece of algebra homework. When the owner of the number texts back, Jess and Max hit it off through their anonymous conversation. The last thing Jess expected was to spend her boring weekend texting the guy of her dreams, and now that she’s crushing hardcore on a guy she’s never met, she hopes he’s actually the guy he claims to be.“(description from Goodreads)

I was in the mood for a quick, light read and that’s what I got with Amy Sparling’s The Text Dare. This is the first book in a young adult novella “series” from Sparling and I’ll be reading the rest for sure, next time I’m looking for a guaranteed enjoyable novella.

What I enjoy with Sparling’s work is that she’s able to write the teenage first person so believably. I’m no longer a teenager, but from what I remember a lot of the main character’s inner thoughts and interactions felt familiar and realistic. Sparling’s characters aren’t too mature for where they’re supposed to be in life, and they also weren’t too immature and kiddish. I appreciate this when reading a Young Adult book.

I also think that with a novella based almost completely on text interaction, there was more meet to it than expected. The characters were able to develop through these conversations, just like face to face dialogue could have done, and these were characters that hadn’t even met when their conversations started.

I’m curious what the next novella has in store for me. Maybe it’ll be my next weekend read.

We’re kicking off a month full of Holiday Romances with a brand new release from Amy Sparling! Check out the latest installment in Sparling’s Summer series, today.

And, as with all this month’s posts, please feel free to comment here or message me with your favorite holiday romance titles. And if you’re the author of one, let me know. I’ll make room to feature your book.

A Summer Series Novella

The holidays are approaching and Becca is nervous about meeting Park’s parents for the first time. As they embark on a trip to California, everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. For Becca and Park, the only thing they can always count on, is their love for each other.

Amy Sparling has a new book out today! You’ve seen my reviews of a few of her books, so you know I’ve enjoyed her work. This new book is another that I’m looking forward to add to my Summer Reading TBR.

And, Amy has something special going on during release week. From May 30th until June 5th she’s having an “Instagram Blitz”. It’s a newer concept, so you should get in on the fun before everyone starts doing it! If you take part, you can be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book. For some more info, click HERE. And for more info on the book itself, please continue down the page…

Natalie’s school work is the last priority on her long list of things to worry about. Since her parent’s divorce, her mom’s boutique—their only source of income—is about to go under, and Natalie spent all summer and most of her senior year trying to save the little shop. Now that she’s in danger of failing high school, the assistant principal (who happens to be her evil step mother) is making Natalie join daily tutoring sessions with Jonah Garza, the school’s valedictorian.

Taking math lessons from the rich nerdy boy is the last thing Natalie wants to do, but Jonah needs these community service hours to get into Harvard, so he’s not going to give up on her. In addition to working at the boutique and studying with Jonah, Natalie’s lifelong crush just started paying attention to her. She’s being pulled in so many directions, she doesn’t think to question why the son of the biggest business mogul in town is suddenly trying to win her affections.

When her crush betrays her and the store goes into foreclosure, Natalie has to choose between fighting harder to keep her mom’s dream alive, or fighting to pass high school and start a future of her own.

After discovering who’s really in charge of the Rosewater Clan, Cara and Theo find themselves in a deadly imprisonment they can’t seem to escape. Theo has to come clean about some things in his past that he’s kept hidden, an Cara struggles to keep it together knowing she’s now solely responsible for Theo’s life.

Now that the truth is known, Theo and Cara must work together to find a way to save themselves, their mortalities, and their loved ones back in the mansion. First, they have to defeat Lady Em, a powerful immortal who can’t keep her eyes off Theo.

And then they’ll have to find a way to save themselves before the rival clans realize what they’ve done.